The invention relates generally to validating and certifying execution of a software program with a smart card.
The proliferation of computers, including the personal computer, has allowed a wide variety of tasks and functions to be performed more efficiently and quickly. In addition, computers have provided a new mode for providing entertainment, for example, in the gaming industry, where it is occasionally desirable to validate results obtained by a consumer. The continued reliance on computer systems depends, in part, on the ability of persons using such systems to be assured that software programs being executed by the computer are, in fact, producing reliable results. This requires, among other things, that persons who wish to rely on results generated by a computer executing particular software are assured that the software has not been altered in an unauthorized manner. Situations can arise in which a software program has been altered or modified in an unauthorized manner, yet the alteration or modification may not always be capable of being easily detection by the user of the program. Such unauthorized alterations can result, for example, in the program's producing erroneous results. It may also allow unauthorized persons to use the software or may cause damage to the local computing environment. Moreover, such modifications of the computer program may result in proprietary information being sent to unauthorized third parties.